Episode 27: The History of Shakespeare's Beard with Christopher Oldstone-Moore

That Shakespeare Life

English - October 22, 2018 13:00 - 22 minutes - 15.8 MB - ★★★★★ - 49 ratings
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Previous Episode: Episode 26: Tiffany Stern Talks 16th Century Quill Pens and Graphite Pencils

Next Episode: Episode 28: Exploring 16th Century Witches and Witchcraft with Marion Gibson

From the Chandos portrait to first folio engraving, all of our visual depictions of William Shakespeare show him with a full face beard. Was this grooming style typical for Elizabethans or was William Shakespeare stepping outside the norm with his choice of facial hair? We think of Shakespeare as a hipster artist guy today, but what did the Elizabethans think about Shakespeare’s Beard?